Afrojack

Afrojack
Background information
Birth name Nick van de Wall
Born (1987-09-09) 9 September 1987
Spijkenisse, Netherlands
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • DJ
  • record producer
  • remixer
Years active 2003–present
Labels
Associated acts David Guetta, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Chris Brown, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Ravitez
Website www.afrojack.com

Nick van de Wall (born 9 September 1987), professionally known as Afrojack,[1] is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. In 2014, he released his debut album Forget the World. Afrojack regularly features in the top 10 of DJ Mag Top 100 DJs.[2]

Early life

Van de Wall was born and raised in Spijkenisse, Netherlands and is of Dutch and Surinamese descent. He developed an interest in music at an early age and learned to play the piano at the age of five.[3] From a single-parent household, his mother Debbie owned a local gym. After leaving school, Van de Wall studied graphic design for a year before embarking on a career as a DJ/producer.[3]

Musical career

At the age of 14, Van de Wall started DJ'ing at local pubs and clubs and earning additional income by designing websites for fellow musicians.[3] In 2007, he released "In Your Face", the first recording under the Afrojack name. He received international success with the song "Take Over Control" featuring Eva Simons, which charted in 10 different countries.[4] He took part in Episode 2 of 'Behind The Speedo', which is a comedy series by Redfoo.

His 2010 entry into the poll at number 19 was the highest new entry of that year's list.[5] Afrojack was listed as number 7 on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJ's of 2011.[6] He ranked at number 9 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ's of 2012.[7] In 2013, he ranked at number 9 again.[2]

In July 2010, Afrojack created an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1.[8] He released the Lost & Found EP in December 22, 2010. In 2011, he was featured on Pitbull's number 1 hit single "Give Me Everything" along with Ne-Yo and Nayer. He also contributed to the single "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé.[9] In January 2012 Afrojack received a European Border Breakers Award.[10] Afrojack's newest single "The Spark" featuring Spree Wilson has so far hit number 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and top 10 in over 7 more countries. In 2013, Afrojack was the 7th highest-earning DJ in the world, according to Forbes magazine.[11]

In 2011, Afrojack co-produced music with many artists including David Guetta, Mike Brown and Madonna. In 2012, he was a headliner at a number of electronic dance music festivals, including Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and Coachella to name a few.[12]

His debut album, Forget the World, was released May 19, 2014 to mixed reviews.[13]

On March 17, 2015, Afrojack was featured in David Guetta's single "Hey Mama" in which he co-produced with Guetta. The song featured him along with Nicki Minaj, and Bebe Rexha.[14]

In 2016, one of his songs, "Braver", was featured on the game Final Fantasy XV. He appeared in the 2016 Grammy-nominated documentary film about American DJ and producer Steve Aoki, titled I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.[15]

On April 28, 2017, he released a new single "Another Life" collaborating with fellow DJ David Guetta featuring Ester Dean.

Wall Recordings

Afrojack runs his own label, Wall Recordings, which represents producers including KIIDA, Apster, D-Wayne, D.O.D, Amil Smeets, and others.[16]

Personal life

Afrojack and Paris Hilton dated for 6 months while he was producing her second album.[17] He has a daughter, Vegas, from a previous relationship to Dutch model Amanda Balk.[18]

Discography

Albums

References

  1. ↑ RA: Afrojack. Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  2. 1 2 Top 100 DJs 2013 search. DJ Mag. Retrieved on 2013-10-20.
  3. 1 2 3 van Rossum, Maarten (19 February 2013). "Interview: Afrojack". Maarten! (in Dutch).
  4. ↑ "Afrojack Bio, Music, News & Shows". DJZ.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ Music Interview: DJ Afrojack. Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  6. ↑ Top 100 DJs 2011 search. DJ Mag. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  7. ↑ Top 100 DJs 2012 search. DJ Mag. Retrieved on 2013-01-06.
  8. ↑ Radio 1 Programmes – BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix, Afrojack. BBC (2010-07-10). Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  9. ↑ IMO Records. "Afrojack Biography", IMO Records, London, Retrieved on 25 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "Dutch dj Afrojack wins EBBA", Sica.nl. Retrieved October 7, 2011
  11. ↑ "Forbes Highest Paid DJs".
  12. ↑ "Biography". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  13. ↑ Metacritic score of 49, (accessed 19 November 2014).
  14. ↑ "Bebe Rexha Explains Why She Isn't (Officially) Featured on David Guetta's 'Hey Mama'". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  15. ↑ "Steve Aoki 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' Documentary Hits Netflix | The Nocturnal Times". www.thenocturnaltimes.com. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  16. ↑ "Wall Recordings".
  17. ↑ Steinman, Alex (May 30, 2012). "Paris Hilton dumped by DJ Afrojack". NY Daily News.
  18. ↑ Coulehan, Erin (October 9, 2013). "'March of the Afrojack' Includes Time to Reflect". Rolling Stone.
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